The New York Islanders have announced that center Mathew Barzal will be out indefinitely with a lower-body injury.
He suffered the injury early in the first period of Saturday’s 6-2 loss against the Boston Bruins. It was just Barzal’s third shift of the game, logging just 1:32 of ice time before he left.
A first-round pick (16th overall) in 2015, Barzal is in his seventh season with the Islanders. He’s in the final year of a three-year contract with a $7 million cap hit. His eight-year extension kicks in next season with a $9.15 million AAV.
Barzal has had a bounce-back season with 14 goals, 37 assists, and 51 points in 58 games. That includes eight points in seven games since the Islanders acquired Bo Horvat in late January.
Barzal’s injury couldn’t come at a worse time for the New York Islanders, who have lost four of their last five games. They sit fifth in the Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division with a 28-24-7 record and are one point up on the Washington Capitals for the Eastern Conference second wildcard spot.
If Barzal were to miss the rest of the regular season, moving him to the LTIR before March 3 #NHLTradeDeadline would free up some much-needed cap space for GM Lou Lamoriello to try and acquire another player or players to help replace Barzal’s production they lost.
Look for Simon Holmstrom to get the first shot at taking Barzal’s place on the Islander’s top line alongside Bo Horvat and Anders Lee. Holmstrom has split time in 2022/23 between New York and Bridgeport. In his rookie season with New York, he scored three goals and one assists in 31 games.
